After a mundane offseason things are beginning to heat up, including some NHL trade rumors. In the past week:

1. Edmonton and Pittsburgh swapped goalies, Jarry for Skinner (Kulak and a ’29 2nd)
2. Quinn Hughes was freed from the shitstorm in Vancouver and sent to Minnesota for a huge return (Rossi, Ohgren, Buium, ’26 1st)
3. The Sabres finally fired their GM Kevyn Adams and replaced him with senior advisor Jarmo Kekäläinen
4. Conor Bedard separated his shoulder and puts his Team Canada chances in peril.
5. Speaking of the Olympics, the rink may not be completed in time.
6. The New Jersey Devils put together a package to unite the Hughes’ brothers but couldn’t clear cap space (Hamilton and Palat allegedly utilized their no trade clauses.
7. Auston Matthews might stink now. Everyone is pretty much suspects he ruined his back last season and has refused to get it fixed.
8. The Dallas Stars might have a ton of cap room after the Seguin ACL tear, they are reportedly targeting various Flames players to fill the void
9. The Hoffman group is officially buying the Pittsburgh Penguins for 1.75 billion.
10. The St. Louis Blues are reportedly willing to sell just about anyone except their youth.

That’s a brief round-up of rumors, and trades, that have percolated over the past few weeks. The NHL will begin the holiday trade freeze this Friday, but it seems like action is coming. The Olympic break may act as a defacto second trade deadline, teams could acquire a player and integrate them onto their team in a smoother fashion.

So, what is going to happen? My best guesses.

1. I have long thought that Edmonton would trade for Alex Tuch. I am starting to back off of that take. I now look at New Jersey, Carolina, Dallas, and Ottawa. A few of these teams struck out on Hughes and will probably look to pivot towards the Sabres.
2. The Sabres will likely trade Tuch but I also expect them to be aggressive, trading for players rather than picks. Jarmo Kekäläinen during his introductory press conference stated that this team could still make the playoffs. Even if they completely fall out of it, I don’t anticipate trades strictly for draft picks, they want to turn end the playoff drought ASAP so players over picks. Given other words Kekäläinen spewed during his presser, look for Torts to be behind the Buffalo bench sooner rather than later.
3. Sticking with the Sabres, they currently have three goalies. No one wants to have three goalies. Edmonton still needs to fix their Pickard problem, look for them to acquire Alex Lyon from Buffalo.
4. Colorado is tracking towards being one of the best regular season teams we have ever seen. Unfortunately, that likely means they will fail miserably in the playoffs. I still have a hard time not picking them to be the Stanley Cup Champion
5. I’m a homer but I really feel like Pittsburgh is going to make the playoffs. If they don’t, Rust is almost assuredly gone and maybe Rakell too. I would think Pittsburgh and Ottawa could be trade partners for a whole slew of players. If the Pens sell completely, I will have to write almost daily about what’s happening with Crosby’s future.
6. I think Hughes is going to sign with the Wild next season. They can offer him the most upfront money and the longest contract. He also went out of his way to compliment Guerin for having the balls to bring him into the fold, that will go a long way.
7. The Rangers are going to fall out of it, but Dolan has no patience for rebuild with the team that he owns. Drury will get fired, directly after receiving an extension, and the new GM will be given a near impossible task of retooling that roster.
8. It’s hard to imagine another superstar, like Hughes, being traded this season but several players from the next tier may be moved. I look to Jordan Kyrou of the Blues to moved somewhere. Stamkos and O’Reilly may get moved out of Nashville too. One or both of those Predators may wind up in New Jersey which is something I would warn against the Devil’s doing.
9. The Leafs may find their way into the playoffs, but they need to seriously consider who they are going forward. The team doesn’t look good on almost a nightly basis. The lingering Matthews injury (or lack thereof) mentioned above is a real concern. I think the Leafs will make some tweaks but this not the year for them to be trading futures. I could see them giving the team a chance with a few minor moves between now and the Olympics, if things don’t improve, I could see them being on the seller’s market for the first time in quite a few years.
10. Could San Jose be a sneaky buyer? I think so. They are currently in a playoff spot, though I don’t think that will last. However, the whole league is noticing Celebrini’s ascension and maybe it’s time to start acquiring his supporting cast. They have the picks, prospects, cap room, and future cap room to basically acquire anyone. No one really talks about them, unless they are mentioning Macklin, but I am sneaky on them to do something.